• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.15-22
• /
• 2019

Coal combustion products are generated during coal combustion and can be grouped into fly ash and bottom ash depending on collection methods. Fly ash and bottom ash can be recycled for various purposes based on their characteristics. Australia is the fourth largest coal production country in the world and reuses coal ash as cement, concrete, mine filler, and agricultural soil amendment. When fly ash is used as a supplement for cement and concrete, strength of the cement and the durability of the concrete can be improved. Use of coal combustion product for mine backfill stabilizes underground mine voids and stores a large amount of coal ash in the voids. Because of alkalinity of coal combustion products, it can neutralize acid mine drainage when used for mine backfill. In addition, it can be used as an agricultural soil amendment to improve acidity and physical properties of the soil and to supply plant nutrients. Recycling of fly ash in Australia will be further expanded because of its low trace element contents that can be toxic to plants and low radioactive element contents existing within soil background concentrations. The characteristics of coal combustion products are related to the characteristics of the coal used for combustion, and since Korea imports coal from Australia, Korean coal combustion products also can be recycled for various purposes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.299-308
• /
• 2021

Fe(II) released from mining activities is precipitated as various Fe(III)-oxyhydroxides when exposed to an oxidizing environment including mine drainage. Ferrihydrite, one of the representative precipitated Fe(III) minerals, is easy to adsorb heavy metals and other pollutants due to the large specific surface area caused by very low crystallinity. Ferrihydrite is transformed to thermodynamically more stable goethite in the natural environment. Hence, information on the transformation of ferrihydrite to goethite and the related mobility of heavy metals in the acid mine drainage is important to predict the behaviors of those elements during ferrihydrite to goethite transition. The behaviors of heavy metals during the transformation of ferrihydrite to goethite were investigated for core samples collected from an AMD treatment system in the Heungjin-Taemaek coal mine by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis, and statistical analysis. XRD results showed that ferrihydrite gradually transformed to goethite from the top to the bottom of the core samples. Chemical analysis showed that the relative concentration of As was significantly high in the core samples compared with that in the drainage, indicating that As was likely to be adsorbed strongly on or coprecipitated with iron oxyhydroxide. Correlation analysis also indicated that As can be easily removed from mine drainage during iron mineral precipitation due to its high affinity to Fe. The concentration ratio of As, Cd, Co, Ni, and Zn to Fe generally decreased with depth in the core samples, suggesting that mineral transformation can increase those concentrations in the drainage. In contrast, the concentration ratio of Cr to Fe increased with depth, which can be explained by the chemical bond of iron oxide and chromate, and surface charge of ferrihydrite and goethite.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.248-260
• /
• 2009

With regard to oversea mineral resources development, recent trend has been changed from a simple capital investment to a direct development of the resources. In relation to the stability of a slope in large open-pit coal mine, groundwater system was investigated and the validity of horizontal drainage hole was evaluated in Pasir coal mine, Indonesia. In this work, various field tests were carried out for a characterization of groundwater system, which included in-situ permeability measurement, tracer test and monitoring of groundwater levels. Especially, the influence of SM river on the characteristics of the groundwater flow system was mainly inspected. For the permeability measurement, Guelph permeameter was employed, and was found that sandstone was more permeable than mudstone and coal seam. From a comparison of lithological structure and the results of groundwater level monitoring, sandstone and thin coal seam with fractures were found to be a main channel for groundwater flow. In the results of tracer tests, the effect of SM river on the groundwater system depends on the geological structure of its base. To identify the effect of horizontal drainage holes, 2-D groundwater modeling was performed. Four different cases were tested, which are different from the length of drainage hole and the existence of pond on top of the slope. To enhance the drainage effect and slope stability, the drainage hole should be drilled to the depth of coal seam layer, which provides a main pathway of groundwater flow and embedded by sandstone. For this purpose, correct identification of surrounding geology should be preceded.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 2009

In this study, the effect of pH and temperature on the adsorption behavior of acid mine drainage (AMD) on coal mine drainage sludge (CMDS) has been investigated during the treatment of coal mine drainage (CMD) by electrical purification method. The pH$_{zero\;point\;charge}$ (pH$_{zpc}$) of CMDS was 5. The removal ratio of copper, zinc, cadmium, iron were increased according to the increase of pH value. The adsorption amount of copper showed 0.64 mg g$^{-1}$ sludge. It was independent of pH value. The adsorption amount of the other metals showed l.l times when pH was 3. The adsorption amount of chromium was a little bit increased at the pH value higher than 7 due to a small amount of the chromium was eluted as $Cr(OH)_6^{3-}$. The amount of metals' absorption were decreased according to temperature was increase at pH value was 3. The selectivity order was Cd>Fe > Zn > Cu. The amount of absorption showed q$_{max}$ Cu 2.747 mg g$^{-1}$ andZn 2.525 mg g$^{-1}$ when pH value higher than 5. It was independent of temperature.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.355-365
• /
• 2022

Precipitation and phase transition of iron minerals in mine drainage greatly affect the behavior of trace elements. However, the precipitation of ferrihydrite, one of the major iron minerals precipitated in drainage, and the related behavior of trace elements have hardly been studied. In this study, the effects of pH change and time on mineral precipitation characteristics in mine drainage from the Munkyeong coal mine were investigated, and the behavioral changes of trace elements related to the precipitation of these minerals were studied. In the case of precipitated mineral phases, goethite was observed at pH 4, and 2-line ferrihydrite mixed with small amount of 6-line ferrihydrite was mainly identified at pH 6 or higher. In addition, it was observed that the precipitation of calcite additionally increased as the pH increased in the samples at pH 6 or higher. The occurrence of goethite was probably due to the phase change of initially precipitated ferrihydrite within a short time under the influence of low pH. Our results showed that the concentration of trace elements was strongly influenced by pH and time. With increasing time, Fe concentration in the drainage showed a abrupt decrease due to the precipitation of iron minerals, and the concentration of As existing as oxyanions in the drainage, also decreased rapidly like Fe regardless of the pH values. This decrease in As concentration was mainly due to co-precipitation with ferrihydrite, and also partly to surface adsorption on goethite at low pH in drainage. Contrary to this observation, the concentration of other trace elements, such as Cd, Co, Zn, and Ni was greatly affected by the pH regardless of the mineral species. The lower the pH value, the higher the concentration of these trace elements were observed in the drainage, and vice versa at higher pH. These results indicate that the behavior of trace elements present as cations is more greatly affected by the mineral surface charge influenced by the pH values than the type of the precipitated mineral.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.409-419
• /
• 2023

Acid mine drainage(AMD) treatment is classified as both passive and active treatment. During the treatment, about 5,000 tons of neutralization sludge is generated as a by-product per year in Korea. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of sludge generated from physico·chemical treatment processes as an active treatment from 5 different sources (D, H, S, T, Y) and the possibility of the sludges being recycled. The sludges have a pH range of 5.86 ~ pH 7.89, and a water content range of 51% ~ 82%. Most of particle sizes were less than 25 ㎛. In analysis of inorganic elements, the concentration of Al, Fe, and Mn were between 1,189 mg/kg ~ 129,344 mg/kg, 106,132 mg/kg ~ 338,011 mg/kg, and 3,472 mg/kg ~ 11,743 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of As and Zn in sludge-T, Cd in sludge-D, Ni in sludge-H, Zn in sludge-S, and Cd in sludge-Y exceeded the soil contamination standards of Korea. The results from 2 separate kinds of leaching test, the Korea Standard Leaching Test(KSLT) and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure(TCLP), showed that all the sludges met the Korea groundwater standards. From the XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, the peaks of calcite and quartz were found in the sludges. The sludge also had a high proportion of Fe and O, and the majority of the composition was amorphous iron hydroxide.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.125-138
• /
• 2023

Most of previous cesium (Cs) sorbents have limitations on the treatment in the large-scale water system having low Cs concentration and high ion strength. In this study, the new Cs sorbent that is eco-friendly and has a high Cs removal efficiency was developed by improving the coal mine drainage treated sludge (hereafter 'CMDS') with the addition of Na and S. The sludge produced through the treatment process for the mine drainage originating from the abandoned coal mine was used as the primary material for developing the new Cs sorbent because of its high Ca and Fe contents. The CMDS was improved by adding Na and S during the heat treatment process (hereafter 'Na-S-CMDS' for the developed sorbent in this study). Laboratory experiments and the sorption model studies were performed to evaluate the Cs sorption capacity and to understand the Cs sorption mechanisms of the Na-S-CMDS. The physicochemical and mineralogical properties of the Na-S-CMDS were also investigated through various analyses, such as XRF, XRD, SEM/EDS, XPS, etc. From results of batch sorption experiments, the Na-S-CMDS showed the fast sorption rate (in equilibrium within few hours) and the very high Cs removal efficiency (> 90.0%) even at the low Cs concentration in solution (< 0.5 mg/L). The experimental results were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting the mostly monolayer coverage sorption of the Cs on the Na-S-CMDS. The Cs sorption kinetic model studies supported that the Cs sorption tendency of the Na-S-CMDS was similar to the pseudo-second-order model curve and more complicated chemical sorption process could occur rather than the simple physical adsorption. Results of XRF and XRD analyses for the Na-S-CMDS after the Cs sorption showed that the Na content clearly decreased in the Na-S-CMDS and the erdite (NaFeS₂·2(H₂O)) was disappeared, suggesting that the active ion exchange between Na⁺ and Cs⁺ occurred on the Na-S-CMDS during the Cs sorption process. From results of the XPS analysis, the strong interaction between Cs and S in Na-S-CMDS was investigated and the high Cs sorption capacity was resulted from the binding between Cs and S (or S-complex). Results from this study supported that the Na-S-CMDS has an outstanding potential to remove the Cs from radioactive contaminated water systems such as seawater and groundwater, which have high ion strength but low Cs concentration.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.25-36
• /
• 2005

Several metalliferous and coal mines, including Myungjin, Seojin and Okdong located at the upper watershed of Okdong stream, were abandoned or closed since 1988 due to the mining industry promotion policy. Thus these disposed an enormous amount of mining wastes without a proper treatment facilities, resulting in water pollution in the downstream areas. Acid mine drainage (AMD) and waste water effluents from the closed coal mines were very strongly acidic showing pH ranges of 2.7 to 4.5 and had a high level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) showing the ranges of 1,030 to 1,947 mg/L. Also heavy metal concentrations in these samples such as Fe, Cu, Cd and anion such as sulfate were very high. Concentrations of water soluble heavy metals in the Okdong streams were in the orders of Fe>Al>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd, indicating Fe from the AMD and waste water effluents contributed greatly to the quality of water and soil in the lower watershed of Okdong stream. Copper concentrations in the effluents from the tile drainage of mine tailings dams were highest during the raining season. Water Pollution Index (WPI) of the surface water at the upper stream of Okdong river where AMD of the abandoned coal mines was flowed into main stream were in the ranges of 16.3 to 47.1. On the other hand, those at the mid stream where effluents from tailings dams and coal mines flowed into main stream were in the WPI ranges of 10.6 to 19.5. However, those at the lower stream were ranged from 10.6 to 14.9. These results indicated that mining wastes such as AMD and effluents from the closed mines were the major source to water pollution at the Okdong stream areas.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.53-61
• /
• 2020

This study assessed the feasibility of coal mine drainage sludge (CMDS) as a stabilizing agent for mercury contaminated soil through pot experiments and batch tests. In the pot experiments with 43 days of lettuce growth, the bioavailability of mercury in the amended soil and mercury content of the lettuce were decreased by 46% and 50%, respectively. These results were similar to those of the soil amended with the sulfide compound (FeS) generally used for mercury stabilization. Thus, CMDS could be an attractive mercury stabilizer in terms of industrial by-product recycling. Batch tests were conducted to examine mercury fractionation including reactions between the soil and acetic acid. The result showed that some elemental fraction changed to strongly bounded fraction rather than residual (HgS) fraction. This made it possible to conclude that mercury adsorption on oxides in CMDS was the major mechanism of stabilization.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2012.05a
• /
• pp.888-888
• /
• 2012

본 연구는 3년(2008~2011년)간의 연구기간동안 저탄장에서 발생하는 유량과 수질농도를 분석하여 저탄장의 비점오염 유출특성을 파악하고자 하였다. 연구지점은 강원도 태백시에 위치한 가행 광산으로써 광산작업으로 인해 생산되는 비축탄(석탄과 광재)을 저장하는 대규모 저탄시설이다. 저탄장에는 강우로 인해 발생하는 강우유출수의 오염물질 배출량을 줄이기 위해 콘크리트 배수로와 침사지 시설이 설치되어 있다. 침사지를 거쳐 하천으로 유입되기 전에 강우유출수의 모니터링을 위해 모니터링 시설(유량계, 자동수질시료채취기, 강우량계)을 설치하여 유량과 농도를 측정하였다. 또한 정확한 강우량 측정을 위해 자기우량계를 설치하였다. 연구결과 강우에 의해 유출이 발생한 최저 강우량은 6.0 mm 인 것으로 나타났으며, 강우사상의 강우량은 6.0~248.4 mm의 범위로 나타났다. 이때 평균 강우강도는 0.6~13.1 mm/hr 인 것으로 나타났으며, 강우에 발생한 강우유출수의 유출률은 0.02~0.40으로 나타났다. 저탄장의 경우 저탄장의 표면을 비닐 캔버스로 덮어두기 때문에 불투수층이 많아 6.0 mm 정도의 적은양의 강우가 발생해도 유출이 발생하는 것으로 나타났다. 각 강우사상의 EMC 농도는 SS 6.5~712.3 mg/L, $COD_{Cr}$ 11.6~263.9 mg/L, $COD_{Mn}$ 3.4~106.8 mg/L, $BOD_5$ 1.0~56.0 mg/L, TN 0.145~5.600 mg/L, TP 0.101~2.526 mg/L, DOC 0.6~22.0 mg/L로 나타났다. 저탄장에서 측정된 수질농도는 기존 가행 광산에 관한 연구에 비해 SS 농도가 낮게 산정 되었으며, 이는 저탄장에 설치되어 있는 침사지 시설의 영향인 것으로 판단된다. 본 연구의 결과는 저탄장에서 발생하는 비점오염원의 유출특성을 파악하고, 모델링이나 환경정책에 필요한 기초자료로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다. 그러나 강우량, 면적, 피복율 또는 침사지 시설 등의 영향에 대한 추가적인 모니터링을 통한 다각적인 분석의 연구가 진행되어야 할 것으로 판단된다.